A School Year in the Making.

I got these results and burst into tears of joy and pride. This is what my students have been working towards all year.

At the beginning of the year only 25% of my students were grade-level readers.

It's such a good feeling to know that 79% of my students are now grade-level readers.

Overall Achievement

Hard to read whilst upon the wall, but...

Improvement in Reading
Improvement in Writing
Improvement in Math
Improvement in Science
Overall Improvement

Reading Timelines

Not out of control.

A Deep Discussion about The Three Laws of Robotics

Whilst reading Fablehaven: The Rise of the Evening Star an interesting question came up. A golem named Hugo is under the complete command of his masters. That is until he begins to develop his own free will. This could become a problem for the protagonists as Hugo is massive and potentially lethal.

My question: If Hugo develops free will would you trust him enough to be around him or would you be scared of him?

I opened the floor for discussion.

It was interesting. The class was split right down the middle. Compelling arguments on both sides, evidence from the text abounding.

And then I said, "Have you ever heard of the Three Laws of Robotics?"

A hush fell over the room. Granted, our book is very much based in the fantasy realm, but I thought it applied. And from memory I summarized the following:

Isaac Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics"

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

The kids listened, nodded, discussed. And as a class we came up with a theory: Hugo is under the command of the Three Laws.

We are currently waiting for more evidence to prove or disprove this theory. Can the Three Laws that govern the world of science fiction control creatures firmly rooted on fantasy?

We'll find out.

I love the fact that they look forward to read aloud. I love the fact that at least 5 people ask me if we are going to read Fablehaven every day. I love the fact that as soon as we circle up, my fourth graders transform into these deep thinking little creatures. They come up with the most fascinating comments and questions. They sometimes surprise me by coming up with something I didn't even think of. And I always suck in a little air, widen my eyes, and say, "that was genius!"

MSP: Day 2

The mood? Confident.